Josue De Paula’s promotion to the Los Angeles Dodgers came with plenty of fanfare after he performed well with Double-A Tulsa as one of the top prospects in all of baseball.
De Paula is still relatively new to the Dodgers, but his offensive potential has already been on full display. Through five games, he has recorded two extra-base hits and drawn five walks while demonstrating elite patience at the plate.
De Paula’s keen eye has drawn comparisons to New York Mets slugger Juan Soto, and in Monday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds, he did his own version of the “Soto shuffle” and correctly predicted that a pitch would be called a ball.
De Paula said he wasn’t trying to copy Soto but appreciates the comparisons to one of baseball’s biggest stars, via Jack Harris of the California Post.
“I wasn’t exactly trying to emulate it. It was more just me being so locked in and getting into my legs,” he told the California Post. “But I can understand how it looks like a Soto shuffle. And if people think it looks like that, hey, I’m not mad at it.”
Aside from their similar offensive profiles, De Paula’s connections to Soto go beyond the field. They both trained at El Niche Baseball Academy in the Dominican Republic and are represented by Boras Corporation.
De Paula has done nothing but impress his teammates and coaches since arriving to the Dodgers and now could be playing his way onto the team’s postseason roster.
The 21-year-old has primarily served as L.A.’s designated hitter with Shohei Ohtani on the 15-day injured list, but could get opportunities off the bench if he continues putting together quality at-bats.
Josue De Paula reflects on first MLB home run
In just his third game since being recalled from the Drillers, De Paula got on the board with his first career MLB home run, a three-run shot off Eury Pérez. It was part of a 2-for-2 effort at the plate that also included a double and walk.
“I’ll never forget it,” De Paula said on SportsNet LA after the Dodgers fell to the Miami Marlins on Sunday. “It was awesome knowing that my parents are here, in that moment, trying to do something for the team, keep the ball rolling, and that was the result. So that was awesome.”
De Paula’s home run left his bat at 108.2 mph and traveled 416 feet.
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